A few months ago, I was in a session with my client Molly who was feeling totally frustrated with herself for feeling so scattered and disorganized. She couldn’t seem to get anything done, and would waste time jumping around from one thing to the next.

(Sound familiar?)

It took us awhile to get to the real meat of why she was feeling this way. Why? An event she created - a “no talent required variety show” called First Time Out - was happening soon and she was terrified of it failing.

Instead of looking that fear right in the eye, she unconsciously created distractions and drama to avoid it, like most of us tend to do. Hence, scattered energy and lots of random little projects happening that weren’t necessary.

Her mind was coming up with all kinds of excuses to cancel the event or avoid looking at it.

What she really was avoiding was the vulnerability of putting herself out there in this way, risking that only 2 people would show up or that people would judge her for doing it. (“But what if they think it’s dumb? What if they think I’m crazy for putting this together?”)

I asked her about the original reason why she created this event and it became clear that her heart and soul were super passionate about making it happen.

Once she remembered the real reasons why she created the event, she was able to focus again.

She was able to reach out to people in a vulnerable, authentic way, recognizing that the people she was inviting are probably also feeling vulnerable and scared of attending the event and sharing their own stuff.

The results? In her own words:

Nearly 100 people came, packing the room not only with bodies, but also with an overwhelming sense of energetic love and support. The acts were so wonderful that it was hard to believe talent wasn’t a requirement. For some, it was their very first time performing publicly. I could not have expected a more successful evening.

Producing the event was both terrifying and liberating. I selfishly created a space not just for others to perform but for me to have that same opportunity. I had no clue if people were even interested in this kind of entertainment. Never had I felt more vulnerable or exposed.

At the end of the evening, someone asked what surprised me most about the show. I answered that if you ask people to show up, they do. If you provide the opportunity and environment for others to be vulnerable, they’ll take it. We all crave experiences in which we can feel something real and this show helps us do just that.

Fast forward months later, and Molly is ready to launch the event for the second time. (You can join her there on March 21st in Brooklyn.)

In our session last week, we cut through new layers of fear and unnecessary technical challenges to once again get to the heart of her vulnerability and passion for making this experience a reality. Afterwards, she wrote this beautiful article to share more about why she created the event.

So, back to you --

Can you relate to what Molly went through?

You know that thing you do, when you’re jumping from one idea to the next?

Spreading yourself so thin that you don’t even know what to focus on?

Or the way so many distractions pop up that cause you to stay busy instead of doing the thing you say you really want to do?

It’s often easier to stay busy and distracted than to attend to the deeper calling of your creative soul.

Why?

Because the deeper stuff is scary. The deeper calling requires you putting yourself out there. It’s a risk and a vulnerable move to potentially be judged or rejected. Or applauded.

Do it anyway.

To help get the ball rolling, please share in the comments below:

Did Molly’s story resonate with you?

What are you scared to look at or get started on from deep down in yourself?

The more we talk about this stuff, the more we can help lift each other up out of the distraction fog and back into making our passions happen.